Ahead of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) National Executive meeting in Delhi on Thursday, a poster war erupted as its student wing put up posters outside the party office dubbing Ajit Pawar as a 'gaddar'.
The poster was put outside the NCP office here.
The poster featured the infamous ‘backstabbing’ scene from the movie, ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’.
Ahead of NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s arrival in Delhi on Thursday, posters featuring a scene from ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’, where Kattappa stabs Bahubali in the back, were put up with ‘Gaddar’ written on them.
Meanwhile, all the old posters and hoardings of NCP that showed Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel on them were removed from outside NCP office in Delhi.
The meeting in the national capital comes a day after NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar both held separate meetings in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Ajit Pawar had split the NCP and took oath as Deputy Chief Minister along with eight Ministers in the BJP-Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra.
In the meeting called by Ajit Pawar around 30 MLAs attended. The claims-counterclaims notwithstanding, senior leaders put the figures at 35 on Ajit Pawar side and 18 in Sharad Pawar’s camp, though the real picture has yet to emerge.
The NCP has 53 MLAs and Ajit Pawar would require the support of two-thirds - at least 36 legislators - without attracting the provisions of the anti-defection laws.
On Wednesday, the fight for the NCP name and symbol reached the Election Commission. Ajit Pawar's camp approached the poll panel claiming that they have the backing of a majority of the party's MLAs. The Ajit Pawar-led camp claimed the backing of 40 elected party officials (MLAs, MLCs, and MPs).
Also read | Sharad Pawar warns Ajit Pawar-led rebels of ‘political annihilation’ by BJP
Also read | Once Sharad Pawar enters the ring, rebels will be shown their place: Jayant Patil
